DOG
by CelestialHarmony
Summary: A young female veterinarian student decides to take on a favor to watch a dog. Little does she know what she's gotten into when a Devoted Operative of the Government shows up at her door.
1. One Bad Decision

**To be honest I had no idea really where to post this. I wanted to post it up somewhere mainly because a few friends are willing to strangle me if I don't let them finally read it. I heard that some people do post original storylines on here and if anyone has an idea to where this might be better posted I'd appreciate the advice. Currently, I've put it into misc. manga and anime because I will be starting on the manga for this...once I have the complete story finished. Right now progress wise it is at chapter 16 with these first five typed and ready for public viewing. Again, I appreciate advice if anyone has any on where they might like to see the story go or if they see any problems. I welcome criticism, but please, mind your manners. I wouldn't come over and slash up your story with a red pen. So just be polite.**

**(Disclaimer: This story, plot, and its characters are all copyright and owned by me unless otherwise stated in later chapters where some of my friend's characters may come into play.)**

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**Chapter 1**

The air was thick with flower petals of every kind and color imaginable. They floated down on the breeze of the midspring day like the most gentle rain storm of April. Warm and welcome.

She could smell them on the wind, fresh scents of spring flowers mixing in a fragrant wind that wrapped around her as she danced in the shower of them. She swayed and spun, her arms out wide from her body like a child mimicking an airplane.

She could feel the warm rays of a setting sun and turned to behold it in all its glorious majesty on the hilly dappled horizon. With a bright smile she lowered her arms slowly to her sides. Lovely. She let out a nostalgic sigh and plopped down on the long grass of the hillside.

Forget-me-nots brushed her arms, which were bare from the wispy pink sun dress she wore. Idly she stroked her hand over the small blue flowers around her and rolled over on her side in the grass.

A lady bird made her way up a flower stem and onto a perfect green leaf. She fluttered her clear wings from out her turtle shell-like back and took off onto the wind, flying amongst the petals.

Gently, the girl smiled at the beauty of the landscape to herself and turned on her back again to watch the sky as two sparrows chased one another across the sky, darting through the snow of petals.

Then she heard something. The soft rhythm of an acoustic guitar, playing a sassy number that held a distinct Latin feel. A Latino singer began to sing to the melody of the stringed instrument and that made the girl blink. She looked to the side and saw a burro chewing on the flowers next to her. She sat up hastily, a flurry of petals that had coated her went flying again.

A little behind the donkey, down the hillside on which the girl sat, was a man in a sombrero, strumming his guitar and singing with all his heart and emotions. She perked a brow. Why was there a sombreroed man in a poncho singing to her?

Ana got her answer when she opened her eyes. Her alarm clock was wailing next to her on her little end table, some Mexican station that was quickly starting to get on her nerves. She hit the snooze button on the clock to shut it up and laid her head back down on her soft pillow. Telling herself she'd just think a moment then get up. Five minutes passed and the obnoxious music returned, trumpets blaring.

She groaned loudly, curling on her side and tugged the pillow over her head which was pounding with a headache. Hoping to block out the noise and soften the throbbing. How come she could never dream about Michael Buble or hell, Frank Sinatra, singing to her in the flowery field?

"No, that would be too good...Huh, God?" She groaned again. If she ever did she guessed she'd never wake up or move from her bed. Which she really needed to be doing about now...

She fumbled her hand from under her covers and tried to find the off button on the clock, but finally gave up and just ripped the cord from the wall, silencing the Latino and his donkey.

Yawning, she sat up, running a hand through sleep tousled hair. "Another great morning." She said sarcastically and looked out the window. The city was still there, stretching out as far as she could see. "Well, at least the world hasn't ended...YET anyway, but the day is still young."

She made her way to the kitchen for a glass of juice and some Tylenol, idly wondering what today would have in store for her, but she knew before even thinking the question. She would get her drink, bathe, catch the train to school, go to class, take some notes, catch the train home, eat some dinner, and go to sleep. Then things would start over again from there. It wasn't a bad schedule. She was used to it after two years.

Normal was the way she liked things. Calm, quiet, organized. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happened to her and she was glad in a way for that level of stability.

On the way to the bathroom of her two bed apartment, she side tracked to feed her cat, Kadon, then headed for the linen closet for a towel.

At the closet she stopped to ponder the arrangement of things on the shelves. All her towels were lavender or white and all the bottles of shampoo read lavender. She owned way too much lavender, she decided, shaking her head. She grabbed a purple towel and reached for a bottle of the uniform shampoo then stopped herself as a thought struck her. With a shrug she pushed the bottles aside and grabbed an old bottle of green tea shampoo from the back. Her brother had used this once upon a time. She took a smell of the scented shampoo and smirked, turned, and kicked shut the linen closet door.

Sometimes you have to be wild.

It was on the train ride to school that Ana really had her epiphany. She sat on the second floor of a double decker tram car with her head leaned on the vibrating glass of the window. She wore her regular school uniform, pleated green skirt and a white dress shirt under her green vest. Her tie was still undone, however and her hair was pulled back into two pigtails.

Her feet were up on the open, back facing seat in front of her in a very comfortable sort of reclined manner. She was slightly slouched down in her seat as the tram bumped along the track.

She had been sitting there like that for a good fifteen minutes before realization struck her and she took a look around the car. She knew these people too well.

The old lady in the far end near the exit was a florist on 10th street. Her stop was coming up next. Two seats in front of her was a boy napping with his iPod headphones jammed in his ears. The music was entirely too loud since Ana heard it from all the way up on the second layer of the car. He got off usually at 34th, wear he worked as a waiter at some little café that she couldn't remember the name of. Across from him there was the business man. He was yelling, as he was most days, at Shelley, which Ana assumed could only be his secretary. After all what married man yelled at his wife like that via cell phone? Not a smart one.

Ana knew these people, maybe not personally, but by habit at least. She could tell where they all got off and on. Hell, she could tell you in the contents of the old lady's purse who sifted through it on the way to work each morning.

They were all stuck in this loop of day to day life, or at least, Ana realized, she was. She wondered if they knew her mornings just as well as she knew theirs. After all, it wasn't hard to tell that she was in collage, or at least in school still. The uniform had to be a dead giveaway.

The though made Ana sit up suddenly in her seat. Her eyes went to the large tram window in silent amazement. Normal. This was all so...normal.

This was a normal, ordinary everyday life. She should have felt good that she had this life. That everything was so in tune and scheduled to run like a well oiled machine. Why then did she feel so...trapped? Why did she get this feeling of dread in her stomach like she was missing something and she should know what it was.

What am I doing with my life? Where was all this normality going?

Collage.

That's right. School. She sat back in her seat with a sigh, relieved. She was studying to be a vet, following in her father's footsteps to take up the family business. That meant lots of study time and little time for friends and partying. Which meant she needed a level of normality in her life to stay on top. That's what this was all for. It was all just part of the plan.

The plan...

Everything seemed so planned now that she thought about it. Had she ever done anything that wasn't preplanned? Out of ordinary? The answer was no.

Her eyes went to the marque over the exit as she was going adrift in a sea of her own thoughts. 12th. They were close to her stop now.

St. Mary's was a loose lace catholic school. It had long been a school that delved into darker things. Well, darker things by the Pope's standards. Science, medical, and even study fields for things like ghost hunting and the occult were offered. It had also become one of the first coed religious schools in the country.

Ana's mother and father, and brother for that matter, had all graduated from the university with high honors and now, it was her turn.

With a sigh, she sat forward in her seat, looking down at her simple penny loafers and shook her head. The PA buzzed in the back of her thoughts as the train came to a stop at 14th. The doors opened and shut and within minutes they were off again and moving. Her stop was next.

Ana thought back to her childhood, furrowing her brow. Come to think of it she had never been a wild child either. Lydon, her brother, had his wild nights, yes, but Ana had always been the quiet one growing up. Well, not to say her brother was still that way, he had his insane teen years, but had calmed down since he buggered off to work at the military base. She supposed training did that to you...or at least death did. It had been nearly seven years before that their parents had died, leaving her and her brother alone at only twelve and fifteen.

Lydon had had to grow up fast after that, as had Ana.

Perhaps that was the problem with her today. She was finally seeing how fast her life had run her by. She sighed, looking out the window as the tram disappeared into a tunnel, the sight outside now black. She was met with her reflection in the glass.

Ana had black hair to the middle of her back. It was that particular shade of midnight that reflected blue to the light. Her eyes were a calm shade of grey-blue. A color that her grandfather had always called ghost grey. No wonder he had called her Boo growing up. Her mother and father had had ocean blue eyes and Lydon's had been a shade darker than theirs. Ana, however, was the anomaly of the family. Unlike the others, she was pale toned, and naturally fair next to the near Italian dark of the rest of them. She looked like a pasty, dark haired mistake in all the family photos. Sometimes she wondered if she was adopted. Fat chance of finding out though.

"St. Mary's. Last call for St. Mary's. Please exit at this time and have a pleasant day." The PA droned softly and Ana blinked from her thoughts, looking to the window again and saw they were at her stop. She reached for her bag to stand then stopped.

What if she skipped school for a day? After all, she didn't have any tests or assignments due today.

But...

She worried her lower lip and stiffened her knees so she would remain seated. No backing out now, she thought as she watched the doors shut and the tram once again began to move along the track.

"Lets just see where this train goes..." She whispered and propped her feet up on the seat in front of her again.


	2. The Proposition

**Chapter 2**

Ana couldn't remember a time she had ever done something spontaneous like this. She found herself smirking like a cat, proud of herself. Here she was, ditching her Monday classes and walking about downtown window shopping.

It was an amazing feeling to be able to break away like this. To not be cornered by the day and not know what was going to happen next was so exhilarating. She couldn't really describe it. She had a chance to really think about her life, to relax.

She breathed in the scents on the wind, but unlike the perfume of her dream scape, the air held a stale smell of smoke, smog, and regular city stenches. It wasn't exactly fresh air, but it was open air at least. She could even smell the ocean on the breeze from here. It was a lot better than being trapped in a lab with the smell of formaldehyde.

The thought made her cringe and stop outside Anne Summers. That's right, today was that big dissection lab in Henderson's class.

"Great. Just great." She groaned. How could she forget about that? It was a huge percent of her grade. Cursing softly, she turned to head up the street, back the way she'd come.

Now, what was the fastest route back to the college? The 311 bus would take her up to Silver Acres, but then she'd have to switch at 6th and Greene. Damn it. She didn't even know where the closest bus station was in this part of town. She started up the street to head back toward the tram station, figuring if there wasn't a bus stop on the way, there was always the tram.

She turned the corner, mind trying to remember the bus and tram routes, and paused.

Heading up the empty sidewalk toward her was an expensive looking man. At his side was a leanly muscled, sleek Doberman pinscher. The man's suit was tailored, finely cut, and screamed "money" loud and clear. She couldn't help but stare at the man's clean shaven face and cold eyes. What would someone of his standings be doing walking around downtown?

Her eyes dropped unconsciously as he passed her and fell to the dog that brushed between them. It lifted its head from its proud posture and the Doberman halted in his steps, locking eyes with Ana. The man stopped when his dog did not budge, his paws planted in place as if he were frozen, transfixed.

Ana couldn't even muster the ability to blink. Something flooded her mind in waves and flashes. Her eyes searched the dog's, but she could not break the eye contact. His eyes were strange. As if they held knowledge in them beyond that of a canine.

Then her ears began to ring as she saw shadows move across the dog's eyes. Voices. Voices whispered in the back of her mind.

The man looked between them both for an awkward moment then snagged up on the Doberman's choke lead. It yipped as small blunt spikes bit at his neck, forcing him to look away from the girl.

Ana stumbled back a step, eyes wide in confusion, but a growl brought her back to reality.

The Doberman had turned on its owner, ears laid back, lips curled up in a snarl that resonated out from his chest and throat viciously.

The man glared, appalled with the animal and raised the cane he had been carrying in his hand and hit the dog sharply across the side of the head with the metal tip. It hit with such force that the dog went rolling to the ground with a yelp.

"Hey!" Ana yelled, flashing angry eyes to the man. "That's no way to treat your pet!"

"I can handle my own dog, little girl. Why don't you mind your business?" He hit the dog once more as if for emphasis and it again gave a whimper.

"You're hurting it!" She moved to go to the animal, but the cane popped up, tapping her on the chest just above her left breast.

"Good. It needs to learn its place, as do some others." He said that last bit as he poked her once with the cane, eyes bearing down on her with the insult.

"How dare you." She pushed the cane away from her.

"How dare I?" He gave an arrogant chuckle, tapping the insignia for St. Mary's that was on her sleeve. "This from someone who attends a cheap college with mediocre classes and poorly trained professors. Ah, but then again, if you're headed for a mediocre job then I suppose that is perfect for you. After all...we do need Epsilons as well as Alphas to make the world go round..."

"You know, people like you are what make this city stink." Ana muttered as she turned to head away from the man, hands trembling with anger, but she knew better. She didn't have any power in the mind of an arrogant idiot like him. That's why she liked animals...at least they were all equals at the end of the day.

"It's people like me that make this city work." He curl one of those perfect lips back and Ana seethed with anger. Beauty had always been the mask of the beast.

"Arrogant bastards who can't even handle their own dogs?"

The moment she said it she knew she'd regret it. She turned just as he gave a disgusted grunt and raised the cane again. This time, however it was not aimed for the dog, but for her.

She put up her arms to guard herself from the hit just in time and braced herself. She heard it impact, but never felt it. Her eyes opened slowly and she turned to look to the man.

A younger man stood between them, his back to Ana, the end of the cane held firmly in his hand where he'd jerked it to the side, blocking its hit. The arrogant man before him stood with an expression of shock, his hands still on the cane.

"You should never hit defenseless women or animals..." The young man said firmly, his voice low, solid. His hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck.

"Get out of my way!" The man tried to jerk his cane free of the other man's hold, but stopped when the red head ripped the cane away with ease and broke it over his knee.

"How-Do you have any idea how much that was? You better damn well pay--" The man started, but was silenced when the younger man, who happened to be taller, grabbed him by the lapels of his suit jacket, lifting him up onto his tip toes as he pulled him close.

He came nose to nose with him and chuckled. Ana could only stare in disbelief. Who was this man?

"I don't think you want to try pushing my patience any further than what you have, sir." He spoke the title with venom and shoved the man backward. "Now get out of my sight."

The older man muttered something, eyes large in fear and more apparent, anger. He turned tail and ran off. The younger man watched then tucked his hands in his pockets as he turned to walk off the other way.

Ana only caught a small glimpse of his face as he moved past her. She turned to watch him, still in a state of shock, but finally found her voice. "Wait!"

The red head stopped.

"Th...Thank you."

He said nothing in reply to her, simply moved on down the sidewalk and away from her. His ponytail blowing behind him from the breeze.

Something pushed and licked at Ana's hand and she blinked from her thoughts, finding the Doberman by her side, whimpering. She knelt and stroked his head tenderly. He was a beautiful dog.

"I'm sorry about that...some people are so cruel..." She whispered and the dog merely licked her cheek, as if telling her, no. Not you. She smiled fondly at him and he stepped back before darting off down the sidewalk and down the alley, out of her sight. Dragging behind him his chain.

She stood slowly, watching him retreat. "Strange dog..." Shaking her head as she tried to work through what had all just happened, she sighed. Blinking as she recognized a sound in the distance. Church bells. They chimed ten. TEN?

"Oh, no!" She cringed, turning to run for the tram station. Maybe she could make it still--

"That was brave..."

The voice made her halt in her steps just as she passed the door to a shop. She turned back to see an old face looking at her from the doorway. He gave her a smile and inclined his head back, nodding. Beckoning her to come inside. After a moment of indecision, she followed him inside.

The shop was small, as she would have expected, and dimly lit by the sun through the dusty old windows. She took a moment to look around after stopping once she had stepped through the door. What was this place? A pawn shop?

Scattered all about were tables and racks and shelves full of everything from watches and jewelry to huge, ancient looking books. Swords and knives covered two of the walls. She put her hands in her skirt pockets instinctively like a child walking into a glass shop. This place was full of antiques.

The owner took a seat behind the counter and watched her as she looked around. Silently assessing her with calm, blue eyes. He was old. Well, old to Ana. He must have been about sixty to seventy years old.

"We deal in just about everything from diamonds to tear gas." He chuckled and was rewarded with a smile from the young woman.

"There's a lot of neat stuff in here..." Ana said, pulling a thick, leather bound book from the shelf and dusted it off.

"You really must like animals to have risked your neck like that." The old man spoke as if he were thinking aloud to himself.

Ana looked up from the book, shifting her eyes to the side nervously. "I just couldn't stand there and do nothing."

The old man smiled. "Yes, but most people would have just stood there..."

Ana knitted her brow. "Well, I love animals...I had to do something. What type of doctor would I be if I had let that happen?"

"You're a doctor?" He looked at her curiously in thought and she blushed, blinking at his question.

"Oh, no, not yet. Well...not ever...I mean..." She paused for a moment, flicking through the big book. "I'm studying to be a vet..." She looked down at the book and the blank pages.

"I suppose some people have more of an empathy with nature than the rest of us..."

"Hmm?" Ana tilted her head at the shopkeeper, looking up from her inspection of the book.

"Some people can communicate better with animals than they can with other humans..." He leaned forward on his stool. "I saw what happened back there. You felt something strange, didn't you?"

"What...? What do you mean?" She asked as she flipped through the blank pages nervously.

"You know what I mean. You felt something when that animal looked at you. Something that wasn't natural."

Ana laughed. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" The man leaned back in his seat once more after a moment. "You know...I have a friend who has a dog that needs someone like you..."

Ana closed the blank book. "Say what?"

"He's a great dog, but...well, he's not exactly used to domestic life..."

"What do you mean?" Ana's eyes had taken on a curious light with this offering the man was making.

"He's a bit of a working dog..." He said simply.

"Oh. Like a police dog?"

"...More of a...seeing eye dog..." He chuckled softly, smoothing down his slacks.

Ana smiled brightly at that. "I see. So, he needs someone to take care of his dog for awhile?"

"He's going to be disabled by an operation for a little while. He needs a good...sitter to watch the dog until he's able to once more."

Ana's brow furrowed in thought. "But wouldn't he need the dog around? I mean, he'd need help wouldn't he after the operation...?"

The man shook his head slowly. "He just needs someone to watch the dog for him. Others will assist him if needed.."

Ana nodded slowly, thinking on this, then smiled. "I could dog-sit for him. How much trouble could it be?"

The man grinned. "I knew you'd be the person for the job the moment I saw you." He took out a piece of paper and folded it in half. "Now, remember you don't have to do this, but it really would be a big help..."

Ana flashed him a winning smile. "How hard could it be? I mean all I have to do is feed the dog and give him a nice, safe place to sleep."

"Well...there is one thing I would ask of you myself. This won't merely be a sitting job. The dog isn't exactly used to the outside world. He's been...how do you say, more of a house dog all his life. He will need to learn what the world is like, how people in the city act. Once the operation is over, his owner will be able to...branch out more...so the dog needs to learn everything that he can from you..." The old man gave her a level look and she saw a flash of graveness behind his old eyes. As if he were worried about something.

Ana set the book on the counter the man sat behind and picked up a pen from the table, writing down her name and address.

The old man nodded slowly as he watched her write. "I'll have the dog dropped off tomorrow in the morning." He took the paper when she held it out to him and he read the name out loud. "Ana Tristanval? Was your father Eric Tristanval?"

Ana smiled softly. "Yes, he was. Did you know him?"

"I did. He was a good man, your father. Dedicated to his work and family. It's a shame what happened..." He folded the piece of paper up, voice lowering. "The people with the truly good hearts always seem to go first..."

"Yeah..." Ana whispered in agreeance, thoughts wandering. "I'm a little late for school, Sir. I really should get going..."

"You're a lot late for school by my watch." He chuckled. "The name's Johnson by the way..."

"Mr. Johnson." She gave him a slight bow of her head respectfully and turned toward the door.

"Oh. Ana." Johnson picked up the leather bound book from the counter and tossed it to her when she turned to him. She caught it against her chest, giving him a curious look. "Call it a gift, child. Now, run along."

She blinked at him, looking at the book then smiled brightly, nodded, and left the shop with a bounce in her step.


	3. What are you waiting for?

**(Disclaimer: This story, plot, and its characters are all copyright and owned by me unless otherwise stated in later chapters where some of my friend's characters may come into play.)**

**Remember: Give a nice review and you'll get a nice review. Give a mean review and you'll get your keyboard shoved down your throat.

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**Chapter 3**

"We'll start with an incision roughly one inch under the base of the rabbit's neck. Using a slight, downward pressure we will then use the T cut to open the chest cavity."

Mr. Henderson was droning on as he spoke to the biology class from his position at the chalk board where he was drawing on a diagram of a dead rabbit.

Ana sighed as she sat on her stool at the work station. Her best friend and work partner Mandy was busy arguing with their other best friend, Jason, on who would be the one to open the animal. Dissections tended to always start like this when you had a vegan and a squeamish gay boy working in close prosemtry.

After another ten minutes or so of this childish bickering, they finally managed to get the dead rabbit opened up for exploration, though not without complaints as both nearly threw up their breakfasts on the class room floor.

Ana, however, had given up on this assignment long before entering the school gates. Her thoughts were drifting off out the window along with the smell of formaldehyde.

She was letting her mind wander over the events of this morning and all that had happened. The boy flashed in her mind again. He had saved her neck, but...where had he come from?

"Ana?"

Who was he...?

"Anaaa?"

More importantly, did he have a girlfriend...?

"Miss Tristanval!" Mr. Henderson's stern yell jerked her back to reality. She blushed, sitting up straight in her seat at the back of the room. Embarrassment burning in her cheeks. "Coming in late is bad enough, but I will not have you daydreaming in this class, Ana. I don't care how high a GPA you have. You should be setting an example for others."

She cringed at his words. "Sorry, Mr. Henderson..."

Mandy shook her head, pushing a lock of bright blue hair from her brown eyes. "You alright?" For her to actually say that let Ana know she was slightly concerned for her. Mandy usually didn't take the time to care, but Ana understood her friend was curious about her detachment.

Henderson was right, Ana realized. She had one of the highest GPA's in her graduating class. Someone with that much brain power normally didn't day dream like that. In fact, any other day Ana would have been studying something as she was cutting the rabbit open herself.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine, Mandy..."Ana said with a quick nod.

"You've been out of it ever since you got to class..." Jason muttered softly then gave a soft chuckle. "Bet it's a guy, Mandy?"

Ana blushed, bewildered with Jason''s intuition. "Um..."

"I knew it!" Mandy squealed with glee. "That's why you were late this morning! You had some guy in your panties!"

"What?" Ana looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Jason leaned in close, eyes shimmering.

"Wha–I don't know what--" Ana started, but was cut off.

"She doesn't even know!" Mandy gasped mockingly, grinning. "You naughty girl! Pounding the sheets and not even knowing who the poor sap is!"

Ana darted her gaze between them. "No! I didn't--"

"Oh, I'll bet he's a complete hunk!" Jason swooned, drawing swirls on the counter top with his scalpel. "He must be to get a book worm like you this dreamy-eyed."

Mandy leaned in close to her friend, voice lowering as she gave her a devilish grin. "Sooo. This means you're not in the pure white virgin club anymore, huh?"

"Virgin?" Jason whispered harshly before Ana could defend herself. He gave her a cross, hurt expression. "You popped the proverbial cherry and you didn't even tell ME?"

"Was he good?" Mandy bit her lower lip in thought, eyes going starry in thought. "I'll bet he brought you home on his motorcycle after a candle lit dinner, took you upstairs to your apartment, and just when you went to kiss goodnight he totally swept you off your feet. God, you two probably made sweet, passionate love until dawn. That's why you were so late to class."

Ana shook her head and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when Jason cut her off once more.

"Oh puh-lez." He chewed on the end of his plastic scalpel. "I bet he got you to you're apartment and before you even had a chance to offer him in he kicked in the door and stripped your undies off before you even got inside. Then he probably did you like a jack hammer on the kitchen table so hard you're having a hard time walking."

Ana gawked between them both, face red.

"Jeez, you really must have gotten your brains screwed out good..." Mandy said then jumped back as Ana stood up on the rungs of her stool, slapping the counter with both hands in agitation.

"No one screwed my brain's out!" She yelled it and blinked as she looked around the room. Everyone had gone silent, pausing in their dissections. Mr. Henderson sat watching her expectingly. Ana gulped down the dry lump in her throat.

"Miss Tristanval..." He said nothing more, merely pointed toward the classroom door. Ana groaned and grabbed her bag as she headed out to wait in the hall. Great. She really didn't feel like being sent to the Headmaster over this.

"Can you believe it...?" Ana muttered as she took her seat at the lunch table later that afternoon. Mandy sat across from her, Jason perched at her side, eyeing her jell-o cup. "Henderson gave me a zero on the lab and Headmaster suspended my for two days..."

Mandy looked at her devastated friend silently for a long moment, noting she once again had not grabbed herself anything for lunch besides an apple. "Well, it's your own fault you know...screaming obscene things like that in Henderson's..."

"My fault?" Ana swallowed a chunk of apple. "You were the one's going on about me having sex in the middle of class."

"Hey, you never stopped us. We were happy for you. Come to think of it, that was really rude. Getting our hopes up like that."

"I was crushed." Jason sniffled in agreeance, finally managing to sneak an arm around Mandy while he was speaking in an attempt to steal the jell-o. He was met with a plastic spork jabbing the back of he hand. He winced.

"Well, excuse me." Ana grumbled and rolled her eyes, then turned her attention to glance over the room as if annoyed with her friends. Which she was.

"I really don't see what you're waiting for, Ana. There are plenty of guys here who I know for a fact are dying to get into your knickers." Jason smirked roguishly when she gave him a soft glare. He held his hands up as if in a surrender. "Hey, only relaying what I hear from the men's room.

"Well, I think our Ana here is a lesbian."

Ana blinked, turning to Mandy in confusion.

"Come on, think about it, Ana. You're 19, cute, and still a virgin. What other answer is there to your problem other than the fact that you might be confused and about to turn lesbian?" Mandy leaned back in her seat as she began picked at her jell-o.

Jason tilted his head. "You know, she does have a point. You do seem to distance yourself from relationships with men. I could see you staying away from the shit heads, but you blow off the nice one's, too. Take Laurie for example. He lives next door and you've never even had him over for coffee or something."

"I'm do not hate men. I just..." She tried to think how to explain it to them, but the words were so hard to find. "Hey, Jason's my friend after all."

"Yeah, but Jason doesn't count. He's gay." Mandy sighed heavily. Jason stuck his tongue out at her.

Ana looked down at her apple, already not feeling hungry after just one bite. Her stomach felt as if it were in knots. "You know how I feel, Mandy..."

"Yeah, yeah...all that lovey-dovey, right person crap. Let me tell you, Ana. There is no right person. You'll wait forever and never find him. You'll regret losing it if you put too much stock and moral behind waiting on love." Mandy slurped up the last of the jell-o.

"I'll wait as long as I want to, Mandy. That's my decision. I'll do it when and if I'm ready for it...and not a moment before."

Jason gave her a small smile as he listened to her then looked to Mandy as the bell rang. She got up, leaving them there. He watched her then slowly stood, walking around the table and kissed his friend on the cheek. "There's no shame in that, Ana. You won't do it until you're good and ready. That's why you're so smart, but when you do do it finally I want every last freaking detail." He chuckled then headed off.

Ana blushed, smiling to herself and turned the apple over in her hand in a small, nervous gesture then got up and threw the fruit in the bin. Heading to her next class in a cloud of deep thought.

Later that afternoon, Ana headed home along the same route she took everyday. She would take the tram to the station near by her apartment complex and walk the rest of the way.

Near the corner, she heard a noise down the alley and looked down it, peering into the darkness. A Doberman was whimpering as it limped towards her. The same dog from that morning.

"You poor thing..." She whispered and dropped to one knee to inspect the creature as it came to her, head lowered.

It gave a pained whimper as she rested her hand on its head and her heart sank in her chest. "Come on then. You can come home with me. I'll make sure you're looked after and taken care of..." The dog licked her offered hand and followed her as she headed down the sidewalk toward her building.

She did not notice the shadow in the alley that watched her as she left with the dog in tow. The figure wrapped the choke chain leash around its hand and softly chuckled to himself as she disappeared out of sight.


	4. The DOG

**(Disclaimer: This story, plot, and its characters are all copyright and owned by me unless otherwise stated in later chapters where some of my friend's characters may come into play.)**

**Note: Always remember, the person you give a bad review to might be your sweet next door neighbor. And even sweet next door neighbors can still slit your tires. **

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The next morning, Ana awoke in her bed with a heavy paw on her knee and a Doberman's head resting sleepily on her thigh. She blinked softly and raised a hand to block out the sunlight that was coming through the window, silently wondering what time it was.

Her eyes rolled to the clock and she sighed, seeing it was still unplugged from where she'd pulled it from the wall the day before.

With a sigh she sat up, stretching her arms and let her back pop. She wasn't bothered about being late for school today, not with her suspension taking effect today. Two days off school, she thought as she sat looking out the window at the city. She supposed she might as well take the free time she had and look into doing something productive. After all, there were plenty of reasons to study, what with fall exams just around the corner.

She got up, the Doberman on her heels as she went to the kitchen. Her fridge was mostly empty, so she pulled a can of spam from the cabinet and heated the meat a bit before setting it in a dish on the floor for the dog.

"I wonder what your name is...I can't just call you dog all the time..." She pondered, leaning her lower back against the kitchen counter. Her hand went up to run into her hair and she groaned at the feel of grease. "I need a shower before I do anything else..." She muttered, reaching for a rubber band to pull her hair back and gathered it behind her shoulders.

The door bell made her pause. She blinked and finished tying her hair. The dog lifted his head to stare at her then looked to the door, his hackles rising as he growled lightly.

She smiled reassuringly and put a hand on his head. "It's alright." He silenced his growling and followed her to the front door. She sidetracked to get her bathrobe from the back of the bathroom door and pulled it on over her light blue panties and penguin tank top.

The bell sounded once again and she quickened her pace to the door, shooing the dog back into the living room. Silently wondering who in the nine hells was at the door this time of day.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." She grumbled and unlocked the door, flinging it open. "Look, if you're trying to sell something it's really...early..."

Ana froze up once she got the door opened all the way. The only, slightly comprehensible thought that came to her mind was, Wow. She stood there with her robe slightly open as she gazed at the man on her doorstep.

He was a good six foot tall and then some. He was built, but he was slender, muscled like a panther. His hair was the color of rich, red earth with copper strands that shown highlighted in the dim hall of the apartment building. It hung He was wearing a black, sleeveless turtleneck and baggy, deep green slacks.

He stood there, silent, towering over her by a clear head and stared down into her eyes from behind small, oval sunglasses. The dark lenses hiding the color of his eyes from her, but she was still able to make out dark knowledge of a wolf that lit his eyes from the inside.

She squirmed under that gaze.

"Um...Can I help you...?" She managed to form the words after a moment, her eyes wandering over him in thought.

"Are you Ana Tristanval?" He asked in a crisp voice that was neither too deep or too high. It was a nonchalant voice, calm. Perfect.

Ana gave a gentle nod of her head in answer to him. Any other girl would not be standing here in her underwear awestruck like this. Then again, she had decided lately, she wasn't exactly a regular, normal girl.

"Good." The man said and bent to retrieve a suitcase from next to him, popping the handle up on the roll-a-bout and then stood once more as if waiting.

Ana blinked at him, looking around as if confused. Then it suddenly hit her. He must have come to drop off the dog that Johnson had talked about.

She chuckled and opened the door for him. "Sorry for being so rude. I didn't expect him to be dropped off this early." Ana offered him a smile as she opened her door more, pulling her robe shut at the neck. "Is he alright?"

He stared at her as if not completely listening to what she was saying, then he stepped in through the opened door. Halting once through the door. "He is...well."

She perked a brow at his behavior, but kept her mouth shut. "So...where is he?"

He eyed her as if she was asking strange. "Here. " Was all he said as he set the suitcase next to him on the rug.

Ana looked at the suitcase, tilting her head curiously. Surely they were not totting the dog around in there? "Can he breathe?"

The man in her door way arched a brow. "Yes, Sir."

Sir? She lifted her own brow with that. "Well, then. What's his name?"

"Haydren, Sir."

"Why are you calling me, Sir...?"

"It is an honorific for the dog's master. Or in this case mistress."

She shook her head, a bit lost on this strange man. "Oh...Kay. Lets open the suit case..."

Without hesitation he went to one knee and unzipped the case. Inside was a variety of things from clothing, books, and other male things. Razors, socks. Normal things a man would carry.

"Um...where is Haydren?" Ana blinked when she saw no dog in the suitcase.

"Here." The man said again calmly and stood once more to his full height. Leaving the suitcase open in front of him on the floor.

"No, he's not." Ana looked around then back up at the man. Was he insane? "Where is the dog?"

"The dog is here." He reiterated, voice taking on a slightly stern tone. As if annoyed.

"There is no dog here, sir. Only you and me." She wanted to step back away from him, but didn't dare. Letting him further into her home would be a bad idea. "Who are you?"

The man watched her, his eyes calculating as he studied her face. "Haydren."

That threw her off. "Haydren is the dog's name, too?"

"Haydren is the dog." He stressed the word is, sighing lightly to himself.

"Yes, I know that already." Ana narrowed her gaze, beginning to get increasingly more annoyed. "You and the dog have the same name?" She asked, crossing her arms under her breasts. Her stance going defensive in her confusion.

"I am the dog." He said flatly.

She stared at him, mind racing. I knew it...he's a nut bag. "Wait...you're the dog?"

He nodded once, affirmatively. "I am the dog, Sir. Johnson sent me."

Johnson. How did he know about Johnson. This must be some kind of set up. Maybe he really was a murderer. Thoughts of her impending doom ran through her mind. She cringed. Damn it, they're going to find me dead in my bath tub or something with my kidneys taken out. "J-Johnson said he was sending a dog, not a man."

"And I repeat. I am the dog."

Ana shook her head, her confusion deepening. "But you aren't a dog, Sir."

He pushed his sunglasses higher on his nose like a teacher getting ready for a lecture. "I am a Devoted Operative for the Government. In other words, a D.O.G."

Her head tilted once more to the side. "A...wha...?"

"I am a Devoted-"

Ana cut him off, raising a hand. "I know that. I meant what is a devoted operation whatever you said...?"

"A dog."

Ana let all the air out of her body. This was frustrating. "And what are you doing here?"

He looked at her then, really looked at her. He was thinking, observing her again. Like something he was studying. "The dog is a government operative. Its current business in this building is to learn in a domestic setting the essentials that civilians learn. Such as cooking, cleaning, and modern culture. Anything the master will teach, the dog is here to learn."

"So...you're like a spy then?" She was so blown out of the water right now. This was way too weird.

"Yes, Sir." Haydren said, nodding once.

"And...I'm you're master?"

He again nodded. "You made the arrangement with Johnson. You signed your name to the contract."

"Contract?" Ana blinked several times then she thought back. The paper she had signed her name to. Johnson had folded it up before she'd signed it. That bastard. "I can't believe this." She ran her hands through her hair. "Can't you tell Johnson this is some sort of mistake. I was suppose to be taking care of a dog. A four legged, furry mammal. A canine. Not a man who I don't even know."

"The contract was signed, so the contract must be honored. You should have read it before you signed it, Sir."

Ana bit her tongue, giving him a slight glare. "He never said I was signing a contract! How do I know you aren't some murderer or weird terrorist or just some run of the mill psycho rapist!"

Haydren sighed heavily and to Ana's shock he went to one knee in the foyer. His fist resting against the floor in front of him in a submissive pose. He was bowing to her. "I am not a criminal, or a rapist. The dog would never willing put his master into harm's way..." He took off his sunglasses and lifted emerald eyes to lock with Ana's. The wild knowledge of an animal had left his eyes and was replaced with something Ana could not completely comprehend, but she sensed the seriousness in his gaze. Then it clicked. That light was a light of loyalty that was shining out from behind those emerald eyes. She felt caught in them, sucked in.

And then the whispers started in the back of her mind again. She saw the shadows move across this man's eyes, like she had with the Doberman. She swallowed hard as her mouth went dry. Isn't this what happened yesterday?

Haydren narrowed his gaze on hers, then spoke again. "A Dog protects its Master...and you are my master, Ana Tristanval...However, if you would break the contract and your word to Johnson...then I will leave you..."

The words brought her out of the zone that she had gone into. She looked up at him as he shut the suitcase and stood as if to leave. Her eyes shut in a moment of thought as the voices vanished then she sighed softly. "How long are you going to be staying here...?"

He stopped midmotion, casting his eyes at her silently for a long time of thought. Then he spoke softly, voice never changing from that level, soft tone. "Does that mean you accept me into your home?" He asked, expectant, even though his voice never changed.

She let her gaze falter for a moment then she looked back to him, giving a slow nod. He really didn't look that dangerous. Then again...who knew with some people? She didn't know this man at all, but she had made a promise it seemed with Johnson. Could she break the promise? Could she get out of the contract. She bit her lip lightly. He was giving her the option to back out of the deal. Should she take it? What kind of a person would she be if she backed out?

A smart one. A normal, logical one.

She decided in that instant that she wasn't going to be that type of person. The one who broke a promise. She could keep her word. "Yes..."

"Then the dog will stay only as long as she wishes him, Sir." He bowed at the waist in a very formal way.

She watched him and sighed as she held the door open for him to enter the rest of the way, wanting to shut the door and get him out of the hallway. What would her neighbors think? Even worse, her brother or Laurie.

What have I gotten myself into...?


	5. Lesson One

**(Disclaimer: This story, plot, and its characters are all copyright and owned by me unless otherwise stated in later chapters where some of my friend's characters may come into play.)**

**You can make someone's day with a nice review or you could trash it. Be nice. You never know who's manic depressant today.**

**(No offense isintended to those suffering from manic depression.)

* * *

**

**Chapter 5**

"I guess you can stay in my brother's old room..." Ana muttered as she emerged from her room. She wore tan slacks and a white and blue soccer jersey. The name on the back was Grecia. One of her father's favorite goal keepers from Spain.

Haydren had taken up a seat in the living room on the couch as if he were completely comfortable with his surroundings. About four feet in front of him sat the Doberman on the rug. He did not look too happy. A soft growl rumbled out of his throat as he stared at Haydren.

The man furrowed his brow at the creature then looked to Ana as she entered, coming to his feet respectfully. This made the dog's growling deepen. He hunched down as if ready to move, showing sharp canines.

Ana walked to the animal and gently touched his head as she'd done earlier and he slowly quieted then hopped up to lay down on the couch where Haydren had been sitting.

"Is he your dog?" Haydren asked almost boredly, watching them with slight interest.

She nodded slowly. "I'm taking care of him. His owner beat him with a cane yesterday...and I guess he just followed me home..."

Haydren pondered her for a moment as she knelt to scratch the dog again on the head. The Doberman panted happily, the stubby left over of his cropped tail wiggling excitedly. This was the girl from yesterday? He thought to himself silently. It had seemed odd that Johnson had found this fosterer so quickly after the incident with the girl. This was her? He narrowed his eyes slightly at her back in thought. She looked a lot different with her hair down.

"I see..." He finally muttered. "So, you're nursing him?"

Ana petted the Doberman softly, rubbing behind his ears. "I want to be a vet one day, so this is a good training for me."

Haydren gave a small nod to her. A veterinarian. He could see how Johnson had wriggled into this girl's heart now. He'd appealed to this helpful side of her. "Does he have a name?"

Ana tilted her head and sat back on her heels next to the couch. "I don't..." She began, but then paused as the Doberman turned his gaze up to her. The gaze took her again and she heard a whisper in the back of her mind. "...Janus."

"Janus?" Haydren arched a brow.

"His name is Janus." She said softly as she stood up. Had she really heard that name in her head? Her eyes went to the Doberman and she felt a shiver roll up her spine.

"Janus means Gate Keeper. It's a good name." He said softly and blinked as Ana turned and walked past him without another word. He followed her curiously down the hall.

"So." She finally spoke once she opened the door to the end bedroom and stepped inside. He stepped in after her as she flipped on the light. "Is Haydren you're real name or some kind of spy code?"

"Spy code?" He asked as he looked around the room. It was clean as if no one had been in the room for a long time. Like a guest room. "No, as far as I know Haydren is my real name..."

"As far as you know?" She looked over at him as she opened the closet door. "You don't even know for sure?"

"I don't know much about my life before I became an operative." Haydren said without much infliction as he began laying his clothing out on the bed, unpacking his suitcase.

"How long have you been a spy?" She asked curiously, pushing the clothing in the closet to the other side to make room for Haydren's.

"I've been training since I was five years old. I'm twenty now. So, roughly 15 years."

"Five?" Ana turned, staring at him with wide eyes. He merely nodded to her. "But what about your parents? Your family?"

"I never had one." He shrugged, taking a gun out from inside his belt and checked the clip and safety catch before laying it on the bed spread.

Ana's eyes widened more at the sight of the gun. "W-why do you have a gun?"

"I'm an operative. We use guns." He looked at her over his shoulder. "Do you have a problem with guns?"

Ana laughed nervously. "Well, I've never actually been around guns...we never kept them in the house before."

Haydren turned to her fully as he picked up the gun once more in a fluid motion and walked to her. She quickly stepped back against the closet door as he got closer and raised the gun. He lifted it next to her head and she had a moment of fear where she thought he really might kill her, but he merely held it to her eye level in a non threatening way. He pushed off the safety with his free hand and then clicked it on once again.

"If you ever have to use this gun." He did the movement once more to stress what he was saying. "This button releases the safety catch. There is always a bullet in the chamber ready to shoot, but never put your finger on the trigger unless you're serious about pulling it and killing someone."

Ana stared at him for a long moment then slowly nodded to him in understanding. He turned back to his suitcase and continued unpacking with his back to her.

"You must never reveal my identity to the public. If you did, things would become very bad for you very fast. And we don't want anyone to find a way to get to me by using you. So we'll have to think of some sort of story for why we're living together. Got it?" He looked back to her and found she had moved from where she'd been while he'd been talking.

She now stood before a dresser that came up to about her waist. On it was a scattering of pictures and awards. Mostly science and math. She was staring into one picture, however like someone in mourning.

Haydren's eyes narrowed as he let his system read her. He could decipher the emotions of a person by reading them like this. He could not see into their minds, but any subtle change in pain, anger, or any other mental emotion he could instantly detect. Lies also stood out to him, as if he were a human lie detector. He was sensing pain in her now. Sadness. "Sir?

She seemed to jerk from her thoughts as she heard him, turning quickly to face him with a startled gaze. "Huh?"

"Is everything alright?" He kept the concern from his voice, seeming to be unbothered.

Ana blinked slowly then gave a few small nods of her head. "Ya. Of course." Her mouth turned up in a forced smile and it caused his eyes to narrow slightly. She was hiding something deep down.

"You seemed to be in pain just then." He took a seat on the edge of the bed, leaving his unpacking for later. "My sensors, however, are not reading any injuries..."

She shook her head repeatedly, more so than he thought she should have. "I'm fine."

Haydren watched as she left the dresser and went back to the closet, bringing out some hangers for his clothing. He stood and walked to where she had been standing, picking up the picture from without a word.

The photo was of a man and woman, both smiling brightly as they stood arm in arm. A truly happily couple, he thought. Behind them, the ocean stretched off into the horizon, bright and perfect with the summer sun making things gleam. At the couples feet were two children in the sand. The boy looked older, about fourteen or fifteen. A little girl sat next to him, who looked to be about two years younger.

Everyone was blonde in the picture, save the little girl. Her head was a nest of black curls and waves. Interesting he thought. Looking closer he noted that the mother had a slightly prominent belly under her white beach dress. Pregnant, perhaps?

Despite that, the young girl was the thing that intrigued him the most. Ana as a small child who did not seem to exactly fit into this gleaming world of blonde hair and green eyes.

"This is your family?" He asked curiously. She was already hanging his clothing, her back to him. For a long time she stayed silent and he thought she might be evading the question, but then she finally spoke once more.

"...yeah." She gave a soft sigh. "It was."

"Was?" He looked down at the picture again, studying the four, or perhaps five members of the Tristanval household.

"My parents died a couple months after that picture was taken..." She said, voice a little stiff.

Haydren furrowed his brow. He didn't understand this pain of a parent's death, but he could sort of understand. After all he had lost close allies before in battle. Ones he would even dare to call friends. It must have been a painful subject for her. "What happened to them?"

Ana looked over her shoulder, looking at the frame in his hands with that same sadness in her eyes. "My mother and I went out to the grocery store one day. One that used to be just a couple blocks away. She was about five months pregnant..." She put another shirt on a hanger. "I remember it was raining that day. We were crossing the street and I realized my shoe was untied. I knelt on the sidewalk and tied it before going to follow my mother, but..." Her words caught, but she kept talking. "As soon as I stood up to run after her I heard the impact and people screaming...I ran into the street to her, but they would let me near her...She died the street..."

Haydren watched her as she spoke. Her spine had gone rigid, her voice was tight, a little shaky.

"My father was devastated afterwards. He'd been a great animal doctor, but he started drinking. He got worse over the weeks, more depressed. He stopped talking to me completely. One day he took my brother Lydon aside and told him he loved him. I listened in the hallway, waiting for him to come tell me too and make things better, but he didn't. That day he hung himself down in the boiler room." She turned her gaze to Haydren and he took the moment to study the raw emotion in her eyes. She was such a haunted person. Her ghost like eyes told that story clearly.

"How old were you?" He set the picture frame back down lightly.

"Twelve..." She gave a gentle sigh. "My grandmother brought me up the rest of the way. Well, until she passed away last year..."

Haydren shook his head slowly and started stacking out his books. "What about your brother?"

"He graduated a couple years ago and moved on with his life." She gave a brisk shrug, finishing the clothes. "He's working now."

So much dead, Haydren thought silently. This girl was interesting. She was clearly hurt by the events of her life, yet she was fighting so hard to stay strong in the face of it. It was no doubt difficult to deal with. To cope. He had learned something new, however along with the set up of her family.

He had learned that not all wounds are physical. Some wounds are not visible, but they still bleed over many years. And they take a lot longer to heal themselves...


	6. The Boy Next Door

**(Disclaimer: This story, plot, and its characters are all copyright and owned by me unless otherwise stated.)**

**Remember: Only you can prevent art and writing theft. Please don't be a jerk and steal. Or I'll hunt you down. And my machete hungers for the blood of evil thieves.**

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**Chapter 6**

"Johnson...Johnson...There are too many Johnson's in this freaking city." Ana groaned, tossing the telephone and phone book on the kitchen table. Haydren had gone to take a shower and she had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to find a number to reach Johnson at and get an explanation from him to what the hell was going on.

"How could he put me through this?" She muttered, leaving the kitchen and headed for the living room on the other side of the bar. With a miserable groan she fell on her back on the couch, covering her eyes in dismay. Janus sat in the chair near her, watching her curiously.

The door bell buzzed and Ana let out a pain filled sigh. Who the hell was at the door now? She tilted her head back to the look at the Doberman pleadingly. "You get it, Janus. I don't want another dog."

The dog panted, tail bobbing excitedly, but he didn't understand what she was saying. Begrudgingly, Ana got up from her couch and headed to answer the front door for the second time this morning. She dragged her feet as she went, hoping to all the Gods she could think of that it was not another dog.

She cracked the door open slowly to see who it was then let out a sigh of relief at the familiar face of her next door neighbor. "Laurie! It's great to see you!"

She paused and blinked when he held a bouquet of flowers out to her. It was full of all sorts of beautiful flowers. Carnations, hyacinths, and babies breath. He really was good with flowers. She supposed his mother being a florist had given him that talent.

Ana hadn't been completely truthfully with Mandy when she told her she didn't like anyone at school. Laurie was only a year older, a junior, but Ana had lived in the same apartment building with him since she was only a baby. She had know him for years and they'd become good friends. His mother came to check on her once a week, just to make sure she was doing alright. And Laurie occasionally brought over some food he'd cooked in a recipe for school.

Unlike her, he was training in culinary arts, so ever since she'd gotten her basics out of the way, she hadn't really seen too much of him except when they bumped into one another in the hall, or when he came up to see her. Which had actually been a while. He'd probably gotten busy.

"Mom said you didn't look so good when she saw you leaving yesterday and you weren't in school today...I wanted to come check on you. You know, make sure everything was alright..." He gave her a small smile that bad her socks melt and her toes curl. Laurie really was a sweetheart at the best of times.

"I'm alright. I just got suspended from school for two days..." She laughed nervously, taking the bundle of flowers and looking at them in admiration.

He whistled at that. "What for?"

"Uh! No reason really. I just...um..." Her cheeks flared a deeper red as she stumbled over her own words. Trying to find some way to explain the suspension to him without revealing the details. "I was talking in Henderson's class."

"You really need to be careful with Henderson. He expects a lot of you because you're so smart, but he'll fail you the first chance he gets, Ana." He looked around her as Janus padded into the foyer behind her. "Oh, you got a new dog."

Ana blushed and stepped aside a little as Janus went to Laurie. The 20 year old went on one knee, petting the dog on the head and offering a handshake. Janus accepted, barking happily.

Laurie laughed softly, his amber brown eyes sparkling as he tilted his head up to look at Ana through a curtain of blonde curls.

He really was cute, she thought to herself, giving him a warm smile.

"So...where'd he come from?" He asked softly.

"He was injured. I brought him home to make sure he was alright."

Laurie flashed her a winning grin as he rubbed the Doberman's belly. "That's my, Ana. Always watching out for others."

Haydren stepped out of the bathroom, a towel draped over his bare shoulders. He twisted his red hair back to wring out the left over water from the shower and then shook his head like a dog. Silently, he padded barefoot into the hall then stopped when he heard voices near the apartment door. His ears strained to hear the ongoing conversation, trying to assess the situation.

Who was this person? A friend or a foe? Why was he here? All these questions ran through his mind, but he got an answer for not one of them.

"That's good to hear..." The unknown boy was saying. "I was actually wondering if you had anything planned for this weekend. I thought we might try to catch a movie or something. That is...if you aren't busy?"

Haydren could sense the nervousness in the boys voice, even though his tone stayed confident. He quirked a lip in a small smirk. Ah, so she had a little admirer?

He heard Ana fidgeting, shifting on her feet a little as she spoke. "Well, I'm going to be really busy this weekend, Laurie..."

Haydren listened intently to her voice. She was nervous, but not in a good way. He could sense her fear started to spike and it alarmed him. He immediately began to reassess the situation. This boy, Laurie as Ana had called him, seemed to frighten her.

"I understand. What about next weekend?"

He was one of those weird boys, Haydren realized. A stalker perhaps?

"I don't know, Laurie. I'll have to see what's going on." Ana sighed softly and he heard the rustle of fabric as she crossed her arms.

"Mandy said you might try to avoid me, but I had to give it a shot atleast." It was his turn to sigh this time.

"I'm sorry, Laurie. I've just got alot of stuff going on right now. I don't know when I'll have any free time nowadays... "

Haydren decided enough was enough. He stepped out of the hallway and into the foyer just behind Ana.

"If it's school stuff I can help you, you--oh." Laurie stopped mid sentence as he saw Haydren come into the light in just a pair of baggy sweat pants, his bare chest beaded with water from a shower. "...I see."

Ana blinked and turned to see what it was that Laurie had infact seen and found her new room mate shirtless, his red hair still dripping alittle. "Um...Laurie, this is Haydren. Haydren...Laurie..."

Laurie gave Haydren a friendly nod, but his posture said it all, as did his eyes. He felt stupid, betrayed even and quietly, Haydren was watching those emotions play across his eyes. "I had no idea you were seeing someone. You should have told me, Ana..."

Ana looked between them. "No, Laurie, wait. It's not what you thi-"

Laurie held up his hand to stop her before she dug herself a deeper hole. "Ana, don't. I'm the one that made the mistake. You owe me no explanation."

"But-"

Laurie shook his head, looking to Haydren over Ana's head. "No hard feelings, Haydren?"

Haydren made no move to reply, merely stood there as a dominant presence, his arms crossed cooly, but flexed enough to show the finely worked muscles under the skin.

Laurie nodded and stepped back, his nervousness spiked now. "Sorry for the misunderstanding." He turned and headed down the hallway.

"Laurie..." Ana went to follow him, but stopped when he turned his eyes to look at her through his curls. Those brown eyes looked so hurt.

"I'll see you around, Ana..." Without he went to his apartment door and disappeared inside.

Ana sighed heavily and went back inside her own apartment after a moment, finding Haydren leaning his shoulder against the wall as he waited for her to come back.

She bit her tongue, but decided to let the anger go on him. He wasn't a friend, nor was he her boyfriend. He was a roommate that had no right to meddle into things like this. "Why did you do that?" She snapped, cutting her eyes to him as she shut the door.

Haydren kept his cool demeanor. "Do what?"

Ana let the air out of her nose. He's right, she thought. He really didn't do anything wrong, but still.

"He was making you nervous, Sir." Haydren stated his observations when she was quiet for too long. "I sensed your fear. He was bothering you."

"He wasn't bothering me!" Ana rubbed her forehead. Her headache slowly throbbing to life.

"Clearly he was or you wouldn't have been so fearful. Even he knew he was bothering you." He reasoned as he walked to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of milk.

"He was being polite because he thought he had done something wrong." She followed him, rummaging in the cabinet above the stove for the Tylenol.

"He did. For some reason he was making you extremely uncomfortable." He took a long drink of the milk.

"I was embarrassed! Of course I was uncomfortable!" She groaned, popping two pills into her mouth and got a glass of water to down them.

"So, he was bothering you." Haydren muttered, deciding he had won the conversation and went to sit in the living room.

Ana gave a frustrated sigh. "No. He wasn't."

"You make no sense, Sir."

"Get used to it." She glared at him as she headed through the living room then turned to start down the hallway and to her room. His voice stopped her, however.

"Why did you lie to him?"

She turned to him, tilting her head curiously as to what he meant. "What?"

"You told him you had a lot to do and had no free time. You lied." Haydren shrugged, settling into the plush couch.

"I didn't lie. I do have a lot to do with homework and school. I don't have time for him right now."

"You don't like him?"

Ana perked her brow at him in confusion. "Of course I do. He's my friend and he's a sweet guy..."

"Then why lie and try to avoid him?" Haydren asked, chugging the rest of the milk and then leveled his gaze on her's expectantly.

"Because...I..." Ana started to answer, but the words trailed off. She clenched her fist and her lips shut and headed off toward her bedroom.

Haydren didn't need to know her reason. He didn't need to know why she didn't go out with Laurie or anyone for that matter. It was none of his business how she spent her free time or with whom. She didn't have to explain her secret fears to him, someone she didn't even know. She didn't have to tell him why she didn't want to get too close to anyone again anytime soon...


	7. Roxie and Jay

**(Disclaimer: This story, plot, and its characters are all copyright and owned by me unless otherwise stated.)**

**Remember: Only you can prevent art and writing theft. Please don't be a jerk and steal. Or I'll hunt you down. And my machete hungers for the blood of evil thieves.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

A ball bounced softly down the apartment building stairwell. Not far behind it was a small girl, giggling loudly as she gave chase down the steps. It bounced on the stairs, skipping some as it went. The sound echoed off the rich red and cream colored paneling.

The girl ran just behind it, her hand balancing on the wall or the steps as she followed quick as she could.

At the base of the stairs the ball seemed to pause, as if waiting for her to catch up, and as she neared the last few steps, it again bounced off. Hitting the banister then rolled to the floor, going off out the open door.

"Hey!" She laughed in childish frustration and took off after it again, running out into the courtyard of the building. There was a small garden here, and a playground for kids, but there were no children today, just her. The rain was pouring down in gentle sheets from the soft grey sky. The ball sat in a puddle near the swings. She went out into the ran after it without a thought.

When she reached for it, her eyes went to her reflection and the little girl saw a nightmarish flash. She saw machines and wires and a girl. An older girl who was attached to those machines and wires. Her body limp, suspended in some sort of glowing blue fluid.

The little girl gasped loudly, crystal blue eyes going wide. She snatched her ball from the puddle. Only herself stared back at her now as the water softly rippled with the rain that started to come down harder.

She whimpered and hugged the ball to her chest, trying to shake off the image from her mind and her eyes went to the puddle once more. This time, the vision was different. She saw someone standing alone, a dark shadow stranded in the grey pool. The shadow slowly began to walk away, the rain cutting up the image as the figure vanished.

She hugged the ball tighter, shutting her eyes, and sat down on her knees in the rain, body slumping around the ball as she gripped to it. Her cheeks started to streak with tears.

As she sat like that, as shadow fell over her small form and she opened her eyes slightly as she felt the new presence. Her brother stood before her, an umbrella in his hand.

She stood slowly, gazing up at him as a dark blush of embarrassment filled her cheeks. Her sleeve rubbed the tears from her eyes and she paused as she saw her brothers eyes were red, swollen. he'd been crying too?

"I miss mama too, Lydon..." She whispered, and her brother knelt on one knee, dropping the umbrella. The ball fell from her hands and he instantly scooped her up into his strong hold. He was shaking with sobs.

"Lydon?" She asked curiously. Her brother raised the face of a young teen to her, swallowing back the tears. She knew he missed their mother. Softly she touched his cheek, smiling brightly. "I thought you said we should be strong and not cry?" Her head tilted curiously then she leaned up to hug him tightly around the neck. " It's okay, Lydon. I can be strong for both of us."

He shook his head and picked the small girl up under the knees as he stood, cradling her damp form to his chest and scooped up the umbrella. "Shh. You'll get sick out here Ana Maria..."

"But...But, Lydon..." She squirmed in protest.

He forced and smile, but his eyes were so sad that she stopped trying to squirm away. "Shush now. Something bad has happened, Ana..." He muttered and took her inside.

"Lydon..." Ana awoke muttering her elder brother's name against her comforter, which was bundled against her cheek like a stuffed animal. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and she blinked at the face before her.

Face?

Ana screamed, thrashing in her blankets in an attempt to cover herself.

Haydren merely stood from where he'd crouched next to her bed as he watched her sleeping.

"What in the hell are you doing in here?" Ana backed up against her head board as she pulled her pillow up to conceal her panties and tank top. She hadn't slept last night for the sake of trying to keep one eye opened. All she could really think about was that there was a strange man lurking about her house. Hadn't she locked that bedroom door twice?

Haydren furrowed his brow at her antics. "I heard you making strange noises so I came to investigate." He stepped around the room, looking at things here and there, pausing to pick up a bra from the dresser curiously. "Well, that's a tiny bra." He noted out loud

She rolled off the bed and snatched the bra from him, her cheeks burning crimson as she pointed toward the bedroom door. "Get out!" Her voice raised as she screamed it, her hand hugging the pillow over her scantily clad figure.

He shook his head, but did as told, leaving her to herself. Women were so touchy.

Ana let out a heavy sigh, shutting the door firmly behind him. She needed to get ready for school. Her expulsion had ended yesterday.

Should she leave him in the house alone while she was gone? He'd be fine, she supposed. She ran a hand up into her hair. What time was it anyway?

Haydren jumped up from his seat on the couch, hand on his gun as he heard Ana screaming in terror. Before he could do much else to react she came barreling out the door and into the hallway, tugging on the vest to her uniform, her socks and tie in her mouth.

"What is it?" He yelled, drawing his weapon as he gazed down the hall. "Is it an attack?"

"No! It's worse!" She wailed, grabbing her book bag as she pulled on her socks.

"A bomb?" Haydren narrowed his gaze, preparing. Surely they had not tracked this place down yet? "Ana, what it is?" He looked to her to see her shoving her feet in her shoes as she ran for the door.

"It's not a bomb! I'm late for school!" Ana yelled as she flung open the front door and disappeared out at the amazing speed of a teenage girl.

Haydren was left staring after her, gun steal held poised as if he were going into a stealth stance. She was...late? All that for...that?

Janus walked up beside him, giving a wide yawn and stretched his legs.

Haydren looked down at the dog and met his eyes. They stared for a long moment in the silence of the apartment then Haydren finally shrugged and put away his gun.

"Civilian life..." He shook his head. And Headquarters was making him learn how to be just like these people? Him, a first class military officer and fighter, someone with training in more things espionage than James Bond? He groaned. This was going to really take some getting used to.

He headed for the kitchen and to rummage through the fridge for something to eat. Idly musing the fact that Ana had not grabbed anything on the way out. Silly, he thought to himself, then blink after opening the fridge. He was greeted with an nearly empty space, save for a jug of juice and a dish of cold apples and bananas.

His brow perked and he straightened to look in the ice box. Nothing but a couple frozen bags of vegetables and some hotdogs that were well past being freezer burnt.

"What the hell does this girl eat?" He shook his head and shut the doors. He'd have to do some shopping. Clearly she didn't seem to grasp the concept of needing to eat. She wasn't like some of those girls was she? That never ate and turned to skeletons with skin stretched on them? He cringed to think about it as he went to the cabinet, wondering if he just imagined a cloud of dust puff out as he opened it, or it one really had. The cabinet, as well as most the cupboards were bare.

"Jesus H. Christ." He muttered under his breath and turned to go get his coat, but stopped when he heard a mew behind him. Turning the counter he found a large, white Persian cat watching him. The cat was fat, looking as if he probably ate more than Ana dead.

The cat meowed again and Haydren curled a lip back, letting out a little growl at it. It seemed unfazed and only yawned.

He reached a hand down and picked it up by the scruff of the neck, looking at its tag. "Azrael." Haydren walked to the door, the cat still held in one hand as he pondered if he could get away with pushing it out the window, but decided better of it and tossed the fat cat on the couch next to where Janus now sat. The cat shook itself and laid down comfortably.

"Animals." Haydren muttered in distaste and started for the door again, grabbing his coat and cell phone on the way. This place needed groceries. Stat.

He had just barely made it to the stairs when a flamboyant boy with white and pink hair darted around him, dragging with him two small children. The boy went instantly to Ana's apartment and began pounding on the door like a mad man.

"ANAAA!"

Haydren raised a brow at this behavior, stopping to lean on the banister at the top of the landing, watching the boy.

"Ana! It's Jason! Please say you slept in today! C'mon!" He kicked the door once impatiently.

"Can I help you?" Haydren finally asked, looking the three over. The boy was wearing the same color uniform as Ana had been this morning. Someone from school perhaps? A friend?

The boy, Jason, turned to Haydren with big eyes then seemed to forget what exactly he was here for. "Well, hello there."

Haydren raised a brow at the flirtatious tone. "Ana left for school, can I help you?"

"And who might you be?" Jason looked him over untrustingly, but somehow he also made it quite clear he was pleased with what he saw.

"Haydren. I'm her new roommate."

"SAY WHAT?" The boy nearly leapt out of his shows as he walked to Haydren. "You mean you're actually living with Ana? My Ana? My little sweet, innocent thing is shacking up with someone like you?" Haydren could have sworn he saw tears brimming the boys eyes. "Thank the stars there is a God up there. You two snogging yet?"

"...Snogging?" Haydren looked at Jason curiously.

"You know." Jason puckered his lips. "The tongue tango."

Haydren blinked several times as if he had no idea what Jason meant then he looked to the two little girls who were standing back from them watching. The older was maybe four years old, the younger around 2. "Why did you want to see Ana?"

Jason tilted his head at this change of subject, then seemed to remember why he'd come here, looking back to the girls. "I needed Ana to watch the girls for me for the day. I was sort hoping she was still suspended or something." He sighed. "I've got to have someone look after them while I'm with mum in the hospital."

Haydren looked at his watch. "She won't be home for awhile."

"I know...Hey!" Jason perked up, flashing Haydren a grin that made him uneasy. "You could watch the girls for a bit for me until Ana comes home!"

Haydren stared at him. "Absolutely not."

"Ah! I've got no where else to put them up! Please, Haydren? Ana always does this for me." Jason pouted his lips pleadingly.

"Is Auntie Ana not here?" The oldest of the little girls asked sadly, tugging on Haydren pants leg. He looked down at her and she gave him a small smile, blushing. "Does that make you Uncle Haydren, since you live with Auntie Ana?"

"No--"

Jason cut him off, waving his finger in Haydren's face as if to shush him. "Of course it does. And Uncle Haydren is going to watch you for a couple hours till Auntie comes back. Isn't that right, Haydren?" His tone became increasingly more stern as he spoke until he was biting his words off. As if to let Haydren know he would break his legs if he said no.

Haydren narrowed his eyes, but barely got a chance to respond before the youngest had clamped to his leg and Jason was bidding them farewell.

"Thanks a lot, Haydren! I really appreciate you doing this. I won't forget it! Jaylyn, Roxanne, be good!" With that he went flying down the stairs with that same speed Ana had used earlier.

Haydren watched him go, still slightly in shock over what just happened. He looked down to the two girls attached to his hand and leg. Great. "Well...c'mon. I've still got shopping to do, so lets get that over with." He shook them off and headed down the stairs, but paused with the youngest child started crying and screaming.

He turned to see her sitting on the floor, her sister watching her throw a fit. "What's wrong with her?" Haydren asked, squatting down near them as the baby pounded on the floor.

"Jay wants you to carry her."

Well, he knew who was who now at least. The eldest had to be Roxanne. He sighed and picked up the baby, slinging it up to set on his shoulders piggy back style. The little girl meshed her hands in his hair, giggling madly.

"Heidi!" She squealed loudly and Haydren got the impression that had now become his new name with the child. Heidi. He cringed. Oh well. At least she had stopped crying, Haydren reasoned and headed down the stairs again. Pausing to look at Roxanne as she ran to catch up to him and took his hand as they walked.

He sighed heavily, imagining what he must look like right now. So much for being a government operative.


	8. Not Such a Bad Guy

**(Disclaimer: This story, plot, and its characters are all copyright and owned by me unless otherwise stated.)**

**Remember: Only you can prevent art and writing theft. Please don't be a jerk and steal. Or I'll hunt you down. And my machete hungers for the blood of evil thieves.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 8**

Haydren came back to the apartment juggling five brown paper bags stuffed the brim with food. Roxanna and Jaylyn followed him up the stairs, skipping and singing all the way. If he heard, "Uncle Haydren, can I have this?" once more, he was going to strangle Roxanne.

He opened the door and let the two girls in to run about, locking it behind them then went to put up the groceries. By the time he was done, the fridge was full of food, and the freezer was being put to good use.

Once finished he headed into the living room. Finding Roxanne on the rug playing with Janus, petting the Doberman's large head, he paused to gaze about the small living room. "Roxanne, where's Jaylyn?" The little girl was no where in sight.

Roxanne leaned her head back to look back at him in that way that children did and she gave an unknowing shrug. "I dunno."

A soft wet plop from the bathroom answered his question. He stepped cautiously down the hall way and to the open bathroom door, peeking in. Jaylyn stood next to the toilet, her hands on the rim as she peered inside. Smiling happily. She pointed to the bowl as Haydren stepped into the room. He walked over, afraid of what he might see and leaned over Jaylyn to look inside.

Inside, a lavender and white toothbrush floated in the water. He cringed inwardly. Ana's toothbrush. He fished it out, uttering a curse and dropped it into the garbage. "Disgusting..."

"Ahhh." Jaylyn pouted in disappointment as he washed his hands, looking into the empty toilet bowl as the water rippled.

Meanwhile, Ana was sitting in her calculus class, mind aching as she stared down at the test on her desk.

I don't know any of this, she mentally groaned, plopping her forehead down on the desktop. She couldn't do any of these problems.

When the bell rang for dismissal, she was the first to hand in her test and be out the door. She dragged herself down the hall in air of tired silence. Her thoughts milling over the recent events in her formerly quiet life. Where had she gone wrong? Switching shampoos. All this for using a new kind of shampoo? Talk about a butterfly effect...

"Hey, Ana!" A cheery voice roused her from her thoughts and she turned to see Amelia, another freshman and one of Ana's friends since highschool.

"Morning, Amelia." She muttered, toned resigned as she gave the girl a small wave in greeting.

"You look terrible. I thought you weren't suppose to be here today?" Amelia's high pitched voice held genuine concern.

"Am I here?" She asked, looking down at herself.

"You're so funny, Ana." Amelia laughed merrily, her smile lighting her face. "I thought Jason said he was taking the girls to stay with you today, though? What with his mom being in the hospital and all."

"He what?" A horrible thought crossed Ana's mind. If Jason had dropped off the girls after she'd left for school...Did he even know she wasn't home? Worse yet, had he left them with that sociopathic, gun slinging, pervert?

Oh God, what if he knew about Haydren? Shit, she'd never hear the end of this...

"I've got to get home!" Ana waved a goodbye to Amelia then was off faster than she'd ever ran in her life.

Amelia watched her curiously, shaking her head with a smile.

Back home, Haydren had learnt what exactly a baby sitter does on the job. He was sitting back on the couch in the living room, his eyes glued to the television as some war documentary was playing.

The girls had found ways to amuse themselves. Jay was rolling about on the rug like a bug and Roxie had disappeared, he figured off to Ana's bedroom to find some girl stuff to play with.

Janus watched as the two year old rolled across the floor again, bumping into the coffee table leg with an "omf."

About thirty minutes into a program about the bombing of Hiroshima, a figure appeared from the hall and stopped in the archway.

Roxanne stood wearing Haydren's shoes and a military jacket. Somehow she had also managed to get a hold of his backup gun and holster and had it strung across her shoulder and chest. Rambo style.

"Uncle Haydren, I'm hungry." She whined, fiddling with the leather of the holster, the long sleeves of the jacket swallowing her hands.

Haydren looked to her, having to try very hard to break his attention from the television set. "Huh? Why are you wearing my clothes?" He asked and stood, walking over to take the holster off of her along with the gun. A kid with a gun was probably not the best idea.

"'Cause I wanted to." She shrugged, letting him take the gun, but refused to give up the jacket. Jaylyn stood up next to her, holding her little stomach.

"Ungee." She murmured, her voice going to a low whine.

"What's ungee?" Haydren arched a brow and looked between the young girls.

"She's hungry. And so am I..." Roxanne put her hands on her hips.

Haydren sighed and went to the kitchen. What did kids eat? He put his extra gun up in the cabinet over the stove, popping his neck as the girls entered, following him. "How about some cereal?"

The both stuck their tongues out in disgust. "Yuck." Roxanne turned her nose up. "We want pancakes and eggs."

"I can't make eggs." Haydren narrowed his gaze at the child. This child was evil. She had to sense he couldn't cook. He heard something banging in the cabinets and turned around to see Jaylyn had sat on the floor and produced a large cook book from the bottom cabinet.

He picked it out of her hands, flipping through it. This couldn't be so hard. After all, learning to cook had to be somewhere in the training, he supposed. "Alright...Eggs and pancakes..."

Ana darted up the front steps of the apartment building just as an elderly woman from the third floor was leaving. She dashed inside and up three flights of stairs to her floor as fast as she could. When she got there, the air was thick with smoke and the smoke alarm was wailing.

Roxanne, Jason's little sister stood outside her open apartment door, fanning a towel to wave the smoke out of the apartment.

Ana's eyes widened. Dear God, please say that idiot didn't burn down my house.

"Ana!" Roxie chimed as she saw her aunt come up the stairs. "Thank goodness! Haydren really needs some help!"

"Stay here, Roxie." Ana commanded and went inside, coughing lightly against the smoke, but it wasn't that thick. More like...burnt food. She swung into the kitchen to find Jaylyn on the island in the center of the kitchen, playing with a bottle of pancake syrup, which was now all over her hands. The walls and cabinets and floor were covered in flour and egg shells.

Haydren stood with his back to the door as she entered. She took the bottle from Jaylyn with a sticky pop.

"Haydren, what on earth happened in here?" Ana asked curiously as she picked Jaylyn up, but Haydren did not turn to look at her, just kept washing the dishes, scrubbing viscously at a skillet.

"He burnt the pancakes." Roxanne said cheerfully as she walked in behind Ana. "He can't cook."

Haydren stiffened, but made no reply once more.

Jaylyn blinked at the silence of the room then squealed happily, planting her sticky hands straight into Ana's hair.

Ana made sure both girls were bathed and clean of all syrup before setting out to take her own shower.

Jason had called to check up and she had told him what had happened. That didn't stop him from wanting to know exactly what the deal with Haydren was, but she brushed it off. Explaining that she would watch the girls for the night, since he was going to be longer than expected at the hospital.

She sighed, drying her hair with her towel as she left the bathroom. She had tugged on a long, Maroon 5 shirt and some matching black shorts. "Alright you guys, time for b--" She paused as she entered the living room, eyes falling on the couch.

Haydren sat slouched against the arm of the couch as if he had plopped down and instantly fallen to sleep, his arm draped over the back and the other over the lay limply over the couch arm, dangling nearly to the floor. Jaylyn sat on his leg, one hand nested in his t-shirt as she slept, Roxanne sat on his other side, her head resting back on his side.

Ana stood for a moment simply looking at them in the blue hue of the light from the muted, flickering television. She studied Haydren's sleeping face silently. His mouth was open just slightly as he slept, his long lashes laying gently across his cheeks. He looked almost...childlike. She tilted her head curiously at that thought. Childlike. She smiled softly.

Maybe...he's not really so bad...


	9. Just a Jerk

**(Disclaimer: This story, plot, and its characters are all copyright and owned by me unless otherwise stated.)**

**Chapter 9**

"So...explain this to me once more, Sir?" Haydren sat in his seat on the tram, fidgeting with his neck tie idly. Trying to learn how Ana had gotten it tied this morning.

"We're going to school." Ana said simply from her seat across from him.

"But why 'we'?" He let the words hold a small snip of anger. Letting it be perfectly clear that he was not happy with this arrangement.

_Good, that makes two of us._

"Because," Ana began, already feeling frustrated with him. "I don't feel comfortable leaving you in the house all day with me not there."

"I am not going to burn your home down, Sir. I am perfectly capable of taking care of the house while you are at school." He gave her level eyes, trying to find a way to squirm out of having to go to school.

"I'm not really bothered if you burn the house down or not." She shrugged, leaning her temple against the vibrating tram window. "And don't call me Sir." Her eyes shut as she crossed her arms as if cold. Hoping her body posture would cue him to drop the subject.

"You're worried your brother might come home and find me in the house." He noted, his tone going pleasant as if they were talking about the weather.

Ana cut her eyes to him at that, narrowing them in concentration. Lydon would kill her if he found out about Haydren living there. She was really going to have to think of a convincing story for him, without lying to her brother, or giving Haydren's secret away. Then again her brother wouldn't exactly rat him out. No, best to just keep him in sight for now.

"You're also going because Johnson said I have to make sure you get some real world experience. And for normal people our age, school isa big chunk of thereal world." She turned her gaze to look around the tram car.

They had gotten onto a different car than she normally rode, after they had dropped the girls off at daycare. This car was full off people she had never seen before, or knew anything about. There were no familiar faces here to comfort her.

She let out a small sigh, glad to see she'd found a reason that had shot Haydren's questions down. He was going to go to school and like it.

As her eyes continued wandering the car in thought, they fell on a young couple on the lower section of the car. The woman was napping, her head resting on the shoulder of the man she was with. He, himself, was half dozing off as he read from the book in his hand. Les Miserables.

Ana smirked softly in thought as her imagination began to wander. Were they actors by chance? Had they met on the stage, in front of the audience and fallen in love? Were they dance partners for some play? Perhaps they were leads in some romantic play. She'd stolen his heart with her song and he had taken her breath away when he swept her off her feet.

Ana's smile had gone lazy, cat like as she was daydreaming. Her eyes never leaving the two, though she was clearly not focused on anything.

"You're staring."

She nearly jumped when the bubble of her thoughts was burst. "I am not." She blushed a soft rose color.

Haydren chuckled at her embarrassment. What had she been thinking, he wondered. Probably fawning over the boy down below. "You've been staring at those two for nearly five minutes." He noted.

"Have you been timing it?" She retorted and her tone came out nastier than she had intended it to.

"As a matter of fact, yes." He shot the response back at her. "3:46 seconds. That's how long you were staring."

She narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance then sat up in her seat, pulling down on the hem of her vest to straighten the green material.

"What were you staring at exactly?" He asked as he slouched down a bit, like a psychiatrist wanting to here what his patient had to say.

"None of your business." She rolled her eyes at him as she rested her elbow on her arm rest, her chin propping on the knuckles of her fist. Her eyes danced back to the couple and her heart ached a little. It really must be something to be in love like that.

He shrugged at her reply to his curiousness. Rude, girl. He thought as he turned his gaze to the window as the tram bumped along the tracks, turning slowly as he saw a dim reflection of a man approaching them.

He was a large male, wearing the same school uniform as the one Ana had made he himself wear today. Must be from the same school, he thought.

"Hey there, Ana." The brute leaned a massive forearm on the back of Ana's seat, right above her head. Silently, Haydren assessed him and his posture. He seemed confident, but cocky. Most likely an athlete of some kind. The stereotypical jock. And judging by Ana's current agitated state he was not a close friend.

"Good morning, Gary." Ana didn't look up at the behemoth that now stood next to her chair. The words she spoke were perfectly innocent by themselves, but her tone clearly showed her annoyance as well as a slight hint of venom that Haydren had only heard in some of the female criminals he had hunted in the past. He marked this frigid coldness mentally as he turned to watch this scene unfold silently.

"You call that a greeting?" The boy, Gary, mused then turned his attention to Haydren. His eyes narrowing in that male glint of possessiveness as he continued speaking. "Who's the faggot?"

Haydren let the remark slide, but his eyes went to slits in an answering glare. Letting Ana handle this for now, but his eyes were now dark behind his curtain of shaggy red locks. This Gary was asking for trouble.

Ana had realized this as well and she shook her head at her companion as if to tell him to stop. "He's my cousin, Gary. He's transferring in today." Her voice had dropped to a softer tone as she spun the lie easily. Haydren was impressed she could lie so easily. Not bad, for a civilian he thought.

"Well," Gary stood straight as if to let his height be known. Like a dominant wolf needing the higher gaze. "You just make sure he keeps himself in line. Wouldn't want him getting into trouble on the first day."

Haydren stood at that, hand behind his back and Ana knew instantly what it was resting on and waiting to pull. Haydren was not taking kindly to the threats this boy was giving them both. His posture was rigid as if he were hunting. Getting ready to kill something and Ana had a good idea who.

She stood quickly, putting a hand on Haydren's arm as the tram continued bumping along. She looked at Gary nervously, giving a small laugh that sounded almost embarrassed, school girlish. "Don't worry, Gary. I'll keep him from stepping on your toes." And with that she shoved Haydren out of their sitting area and towards the stairs to go down and get off the train car.

Haydren obligingly followed, though he was hesitant to leave the fight and Gary. The brute barely let him pass, but Ana grabbed his sleeve and led him around the obstacle and down the narrow stairs that led down to the main floor of the car and stopped midway.

The stairs were just barely wide enough to go up one at a time and winded down slightly to save room in the tram. The little space was completely incased in light metal. It took him only a second to really why she had stopped. Privacy.

"What were you thinking bringing a gun with you?" Ana's voice was low, but the whisper harsh as she looked up at him. Their height difference now clearly substantial with her standing two steps below him.

"I'm not a civilian, Sir. I have to carry it with me for my safety and your own."

Ana nearly growled at his reasoning, but shook it off. "No, when you're in school you are a civilian, Haydren, like it or not. Don't bring it again." She ran a hand through her hair. "God, you are going to end up getting me expelled or something worse."

Haydren's brow rose, but he said nothing in reply. Thinking that last bit was spoken only for herself to hear. Instead, he changed subject. "That boy Gary angers you."

"Nice observation there, Holmes."

Haydren merely stared down at her with blank eyes. Not getting the joke, but he understood the sarcasm in her bitter tone. She was just biting back her angry, he realized. She seemed furious under the surface.

"Why are you this angry, though?" He lowered his voice slightly, leaning his shoulder on the stairwell wall.

"Forget it. He's just a jerk, Haydren." She crossed her arms, uncomfortable standing her like this with him. Just as she made to turn and go down the stairs, however, a hand came to rest on the top of her head.

Ana blinked, looking up to Haydren. His hand patted her head once like one might do to comfort a small child. "I admit, he seems to not understand what the term gentleman means..." He began as his gave a light curl of his lips. A gentle smirk. His voice stayed low in a whisper and also with a hint of something else. Almost...caring. "Do not let him anger you so much, Ana..."

"Haydren..." She stared at him for a long moment then blinked as the tram came to stop.

"St. Mary's. St. Mary's. Please exit the--" The PA was droning on and Haydren offered her a small nod before nudging her down the steps and through the crowd that was pushing off the car.

Had he just used her actual name instead of "Sir"? Her thoughts were racing about in her head and her heart beat was thundering in her ears as she got off the tram, Haydren at her back.


	10. Chapter Preview

**Preview for Chapter 9(and beyond)!**

I will always try to leave a preview if I haven't finished posting the chapters and I leave you with a sort of cliff hanger. Or some sort of suspensefulness.

Chapter 1: One Bad Decision -complete-

Chapter 2: The Proposition -complete-

Chapter 3: What Are You Waiting For? -complete-

Chapter 4: The DOG -complete-

Chapter 5: Lesson One -complete-

Chapter 6: The Boy Next Door. -complete-

Chapter 7: Roxie and Jay -complete-

Chapter 8: Not Such a Bad Guy -complete-

Chapter 9: What's a Jerk?

Chapter 10: The Dog Goes to School -currently typing-

Chapter 11: I Killed Someone Today -currently in revision-

Chapter 12: A Monster in the Closet -currently in revision-

Chapter 13: He's Stuck in My Head. -currently in revision-

Chapter 14: The Truth -currently in revision-

Chapter 15: Pyotr's Secret -currently in revision-

Chapter 16: Admiral Jameson -currently in revision-

Chapter 17: Flower Festival -currently in revision-

Chapter 18: Smile Like You Mean It -currently in revision-

Chapter 19: Holding Back -currently in revision-

Chapter 20: The Bombing of the Base -currently in revision-

Chapter 21: Pyotr's Weapon -currently in revision-

Chapter 22: Lydon's Betrayal -currently in revision-

Chapter 23: My Path -currently in revision-

-Fin-

Stay tuned for updates!


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